67th IFLA Council and General Conference August 16-25, 2001 Code...
67th IFLA Council and General
Conference
August 16-25, 2001
Code Number:
056-98-E
Division Number:
V
Professional Group:
Reference Work
Joint Meeting with:
-
Meeting Number:
98
Simultaneous Interpretation:
-
E-mail Reference: Refocus and Revise. Experiences from Gelman Library
Vera Fullerton
The George Washington University, Gelman Library
USA
E-mail:
vfullert@gwu.edu
The term “virtual reference” has emerged as the latest catchphrase within the library profession. The
frequency in which this topic appears in the library literature, listservs, and conference programs reflects
the serious interest among librarians. While definitions vary, there is general agreement that virtual
reference includes providing reference assistance through the use of e-mail or chat room software, also
referred to as live reference. Although recent attention to virtual reference has focused on live reference
services, it is worthwhile to take a closer look at what may be construed as the predecessor this service, e-
mail reference. This paper will provide an overview of a recent assessment of Gelman Library’s e-mail
reference service, highlight recent revisions made to the service, and address the impact of those changes.
Gelman Library, George Washington University’s main library, launched an e-mail reference service in
the spring of 1996. Overall, the number of e-mail questions received was quite low. In August of 2000, an
assessment of the e-mail reference service was initiated. Two reference librarians assigned to monitoring
the service conducted the assessment with the assistance of the library’s Webmaster. The objective of the
assessment included an evaluation of the current status of the service to determine what revisions needed
to be made to increase the number of patrons that used the service. Although general statistics had been
maintained to track the number of e-mail questions received in the past, the data offered little insight into
why the service failed to attract interest.
Therefore, the first step in assessing the service was to collect benchmark data. The following data was
tracked from August 2000 through January 2001 1.) Date and time question was sent; 2.) Patron affiliation
2
with the university (faculty, student, staff, or other); 3.) Subject of the question; 4.) Number of e-mails
sent before the question was resolved; 5.) Approximate time spent by the librarian responding to the
question, and; 6.) Type of question based on categories used at the Reference Desk (ready reference,
extended reference, directional, or other).
The second step in assessing the e-mail reference service involved revisiting earlier decisions made when
the service was initially designed. The historic context of e-mail reference services across all libraries
served as an appropriate starting point. When e-mail reference services were first introduced in the 1980’s,
librarians were concerned that they would be inundated with e-mail questions. As a result, the service was
often buried deep within a library’s web site. A second concern expressed by librarians was that the
reference interview and question negotiation would be compromised. As a preventive measure, many e-
mail reference services were limited to factual questions and inquiries regarding library services.
The design of Gelman Library’s e-mail reference service reflected these concerns. Accordingly, the
following strategic design elements were incorporated into the initial design of Gelman Library’s e-mail
reference service:
•
An obvious and direct link to the e-mail reference form was not available on the library’s home page.
The link that ultimately led a patron from the library’s home page to the e-mail reference form was
entitled “Ask Us.”
•
The e-mail reference form was three clicks from the library’s home page.
•
Upon clicking on “Ask Us,”’ the patron was presented with a page offering multiple links to sources
of reference assistance. One of the options was entitled “E-mail reference.”
•
When a patron finally reached the form, patrons were presented with restrictions on the types of
questions that could be asked via e-mail reference. The service was limited to brief, factual questions.
Other types of questions were to be addressed in person at the Reference Desk.
Looking at the design of the service from a patron’s perspective, we speculated that perhaps patrons were
not readily identifying that an e-mail reference service existed. Further, patrons may have been confused
or discouraged by the restrictions placed on the type of questions that could be sent through the e-mail
reference service. Therefore, the following revision were made to the e-mail reference service:
•
The “Ask Us” link on the Gelman Library home page was changed to “Ask a Librarian” in hopes that
patrons will associate this with our e-mail reference service.
•
The “Ask a Librarian” link now leads directly to the e-mail reference form.
•
When consulting with the Webmaster regarding the proposed layout, it was discovered that many
patrons were sending e-mail reference questions to the Webmaster’s link located at the bottom of the
web site that invited patrons to send comments or questions regarding the web page. It was therefore
decided more efficient to have e-mail sent through this link automatically forward the e-mail to the
reference account.
•
Restrictions were removed regarding the type of questions that can be asked. The new form invites
states: If you have a question about using the library, need a specific piece of information, or aren't
sure how to begin a research project, ask a librarian.
•
The “Talk to a Librarian Now” section offers alternatives to obtaining reference assistance via e-mail,
but is no longer presented as the primary focus of the page as was the case in the past.
The revisions were made to the e-mail reference service effective February 2001 and the results were
astounding as the volume of e-mail reference questions received skyrocketed. Table 1 below reveals that
the number of e-mail reference questions almost doubled between February and May when revisions were
made to the service. Making the service more visible on the library’s homepage, redirecting the e-mail
sent from the Webmaster’s comments link to the e-mail reference account, and removing restrictions as to
the type of questions that were permitted proved to be a success.
3
Month
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Jan.
Feb.
March
April
May
# Of
E-mail
questions
received
27
47
39
30
30
25
53
62
69
66
It is difficult to determine if the use of this service increased more because of improved visibility on
Gelman Library’s web site or because restrictions were removed regarding the type of questions that could
be asked. However, it is interesting to note the implications of the latter point. Eliminating the restrictions
on the type of e-mail reference questions that could be asked reflects a change in the traditional way of
offering reference assistance. Most academic libraries place few limits, if any, on the type of reference
assistance that is offered to an in-person patron, while restrictions tend to be placed on virtual patrons who
conduct their research from outside the library. In essence, in-person patrons were provided with
preferential treatment. However, removing restrictions on the type of reference questions that can be sent
through the e-mail reference service suggests that the distinction between the type of reference assistance
that offered to the in-person patron and the virtual patron is becoming less important.
In the past, the way in which reference services have been designed suggests that librarians have perceived
the virtual patron as different from the in-person patron. However, at the same time, libraries continued to
make their resources available online, beginning with the catalog. Today, patrons have come to expect
remote access to the library’s databases and demand the ability to conduct other library transactions such
placing interlibrary loan requests or renewing books. As libraries provide online access to their resources
and services, it sends a message to patrons that research can be conducted outside the library. Therefore, it
only makes sense to provide access to a librarian as well in this forum.
Traditional reference services must undergo radical changes in the near future to accommodate the needs
and demands of the remote user. Refocusing and revising current reference services, such as e-mail
reference, is one step in this direction.
Conference
August 16-25, 2001
Code Number:
056-98-E
Division Number:
V
Professional Group:
Reference Work
Joint Meeting with:
-
Meeting Number:
98
Simultaneous Interpretation:
-
E-mail Reference: Refocus and Revise. Experiences from Gelman Library
Vera Fullerton
The George Washington University, Gelman Library
USA
E-mail:
vfullert@gwu.edu
The term “virtual reference” has emerged as the latest catchphrase within the library profession. The
frequency in which this topic appears in the library literature, listservs, and conference programs reflects
the serious interest among librarians. While definitions vary, there is general agreement that virtual
reference includes providing reference assistance through the use of e-mail or chat room software, also
referred to as live reference. Although recent attention to virtual reference has focused on live reference
services, it is worthwhile to take a closer look at what may be construed as the predecessor this service, e-
mail reference. This paper will provide an overview of a recent assessment of Gelman Library’s e-mail
reference service, highlight recent revisions made to the service, and address the impact of those changes.
Gelman Library, George Washington University’s main library, launched an e-mail reference service in
the spring of 1996. Overall, the number of e-mail questions received was quite low. In August of 2000, an
assessment of the e-mail reference service was initiated. Two reference librarians assigned to monitoring
the service conducted the assessment with the assistance of the library’s Webmaster. The objective of the
assessment included an evaluation of the current status of the service to determine what revisions needed
to be made to increase the number of patrons that used the service. Although general statistics had been
maintained to track the number of e-mail questions received in the past, the data offered little insight into
why the service failed to attract interest.
Therefore, the first step in assessing the service was to collect benchmark data. The following data was
tracked from August 2000 through January 2001 1.) Date and time question was sent; 2.) Patron affiliation
2
with the university (faculty, student, staff, or other); 3.) Subject of the question; 4.) Number of e-mails
sent before the question was resolved; 5.) Approximate time spent by the librarian responding to the
question, and; 6.) Type of question based on categories used at the Reference Desk (ready reference,
extended reference, directional, or other).
The second step in assessing the e-mail reference service involved revisiting earlier decisions made when
the service was initially designed. The historic context of e-mail reference services across all libraries
served as an appropriate starting point. When e-mail reference services were first introduced in the 1980’s,
librarians were concerned that they would be inundated with e-mail questions. As a result, the service was
often buried deep within a library’s web site. A second concern expressed by librarians was that the
reference interview and question negotiation would be compromised. As a preventive measure, many e-
mail reference services were limited to factual questions and inquiries regarding library services.
The design of Gelman Library’s e-mail reference service reflected these concerns. Accordingly, the
following strategic design elements were incorporated into the initial design of Gelman Library’s e-mail
reference service:
•
An obvious and direct link to the e-mail reference form was not available on the library’s home page.
The link that ultimately led a patron from the library’s home page to the e-mail reference form was
entitled “Ask Us.”
•
The e-mail reference form was three clicks from the library’s home page.
•
Upon clicking on “Ask Us,”’ the patron was presented with a page offering multiple links to sources
of reference assistance. One of the options was entitled “E-mail reference.”
•
When a patron finally reached the form, patrons were presented with restrictions on the types of
questions that could be asked via e-mail reference. The service was limited to brief, factual questions.
Other types of questions were to be addressed in person at the Reference Desk.
Looking at the design of the service from a patron’s perspective, we speculated that perhaps patrons were
not readily identifying that an e-mail reference service existed. Further, patrons may have been confused
or discouraged by the restrictions placed on the type of questions that could be sent through the e-mail
reference service. Therefore, the following revision were made to the e-mail reference service:
•
The “Ask Us” link on the Gelman Library home page was changed to “Ask a Librarian” in hopes that
patrons will associate this with our e-mail reference service.
•
The “Ask a Librarian” link now leads directly to the e-mail reference form.
•
When consulting with the Webmaster regarding the proposed layout, it was discovered that many
patrons were sending e-mail reference questions to the Webmaster’s link located at the bottom of the
web site that invited patrons to send comments or questions regarding the web page. It was therefore
decided more efficient to have e-mail sent through this link automatically forward the e-mail to the
reference account.
•
Restrictions were removed regarding the type of questions that can be asked. The new form invites
states: If you have a question about using the library, need a specific piece of information, or aren't
sure how to begin a research project, ask a librarian.
•
The “Talk to a Librarian Now” section offers alternatives to obtaining reference assistance via e-mail,
but is no longer presented as the primary focus of the page as was the case in the past.
The revisions were made to the e-mail reference service effective February 2001 and the results were
astounding as the volume of e-mail reference questions received skyrocketed. Table 1 below reveals that
the number of e-mail reference questions almost doubled between February and May when revisions were
made to the service. Making the service more visible on the library’s homepage, redirecting the e-mail
sent from the Webmaster’s comments link to the e-mail reference account, and removing restrictions as to
the type of questions that were permitted proved to be a success.
3
Month
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Jan.
Feb.
March
April
May
# Of
questions
received
27
47
39
30
30
25
53
62
69
66
It is difficult to determine if the use of this service increased more because of improved visibility on
Gelman Library’s web site or because restrictions were removed regarding the type of questions that could
be asked. However, it is interesting to note the implications of the latter point. Eliminating the restrictions
on the type of e-mail reference questions that could be asked reflects a change in the traditional way of
offering reference assistance. Most academic libraries place few limits, if any, on the type of reference
assistance that is offered to an in-person patron, while restrictions tend to be placed on virtual patrons who
conduct their research from outside the library. In essence, in-person patrons were provided with
preferential treatment. However, removing restrictions on the type of reference questions that can be sent
through the e-mail reference service suggests that the distinction between the type of reference assistance
that offered to the in-person patron and the virtual patron is becoming less important.
In the past, the way in which reference services have been designed suggests that librarians have perceived
the virtual patron as different from the in-person patron. However, at the same time, libraries continued to
make their resources available online, beginning with the catalog. Today, patrons have come to expect
remote access to the library’s databases and demand the ability to conduct other library transactions such
placing interlibrary loan requests or renewing books. As libraries provide online access to their resources
and services, it sends a message to patrons that research can be conducted outside the library. Therefore, it
only makes sense to provide access to a librarian as well in this forum.
Traditional reference services must undergo radical changes in the near future to accommodate the needs
and demands of the remote user. Refocusing and revising current reference services, such as e-mail
reference, is one step in this direction.